Together We Fall
by Hattie the hat lord
Summary: What happened back in the Colony? What if the Mechon kept coming, and Colony 9 never recovered? Who would defend the Colony now, that is the question.
1. Life as Per Usual

Looking up at the upper parts of the Bionis was beautiful. I could just stare at the sky for hours, like I have been for a while. It's be a year since the war with the Mechon happened, yet still there are occasional attacks. I really should be practicing  
in the case that it does happen again. Knowing the Defense Force, they probably aren't going to stand much of a chance. In that case, people should learn to fight for themselves, who knows when the next attack will happen.

After all, Dunban, and in extension, the Monado, had left to go with a group of people to figure out why the Mechon all of a sudden came back and started attacking. Right now we were just a Colony without a hero, a sitting duck. At least some of us are  
able to get our hands on some anti-Mechon weapons, but who knows if that'll even be enough.

Dickson has been a big help, though, and yet he still isn't here all the time. So it just leave us who are willing to fight and the Defense Force to protect the colony. At this rate, who knows what will become of us. All I can do is hope we don't die  
out.

I stood up, grabbing my weapons and walking. Better head back to the Colony, see if the Defense Force has any jobs they are too lazy to do. Maybe get some agility up gems along the way. Yeah, that sounded good. I walked over, taking in the sights of the  
areas here. People said that further than the Colony, there were even more beautiful places. I've heard from Dickson about a dangerous, yet insanely beautiful place called Satorl Marsh that lights up in fluorescence at nighttime. Or Makna Forest,  
the home to the Nopon. I've heard that there is a giant hollowed tree there that is the living space for all of them. And Valak Mountain, oh the surprisingly beautiful frozen wasteland.

Dickson has also told tales of the High Entia, but no one really believes him too much. After all, if they did exist and were so close to Sword Valley, why didn't they send any reinforcements to help? It made me ponder whether to trust his words about  
other places or not. It's hard to have blind faith in people anymore.

I realized I had been in my own little world for too long. I looked down at my knuckles and put away the spikes. I let the handheld weapons hang off my waist and walked on, looking for the lazy soldiers that would need help doing their job. Sure enough,  
one was standing post in front of the entrance to Tephra Cave.

"Oh! Kognis, just the man I've been looking for!" He said excitedly, looking down at me. I sighed.

"What do you need, Bruce?"

"Okay, so it's kinda a long story. You see, I was on patrol in the caves, holding my fiancee's ring, and then I lost it. I was somewhere near the end of the cave when I lost track of it. And don't you dare ask why I was walking through the cave with  
the ring. Oh, and also, could you pick up some Ether crystals on the way? I'll make it worth your time."

I shook my head, mumbling something incomprehensible. "Fine. I'll do it. Although, I don't work for free, you know."

Bruce chuckled "Oh Kognis, you know how this works! You'll get it after you've finished the tasks. I promise it'll be worth it."

I grunted, shaking my head and walking through the entrance. My annoyance didn't last long, however, as I let the visuals of the cave take my breath away. I could never stay mad in here, despite my normal personality.

Now that I think it, "the end of Tephra Cave" had two meanings. One, at the beginning of Mag Mell Ruins, and the other the literal end of Tephra Cave. I sighed. Great, I would have to check both, just friggin wonderful. If it was at the beginning,  
it shouldn't be that hard to find. He must've dropped it on the way back, and honestly, the easier way to get it. Less creatures to fight. I suppose it doesn't matter anyways, I still had to get some Ether crystals. If I have to go all the way through,  
then it would mean fighting every enemy in that cave, and honestly, I wasn't too fond of Arachnos. Might as well check the ether cylinder stock first.

I started walking through the cave, looking for the ring. Something was off, none of the Brogs were attacking. I halfheartedly slammed one into a wall, the other ones cowering in fear. Had something happened? Oh well, it just makes my job easier. I waltzed  
through the cave, climbing up the ruins. I exited outside, searching the ground for the ring. Of course it wouldn't be that easy, the soldier just had to go all the way through the cave. I sighed and turned around, staring out at the Colony. Was that…  
Smoke? Oh crap.

I jumped over the railing, falling the long distance to the water below. It was cold, but I managed to swim to the bank. Shivering, I ran towards it, but that didn't last long. My feet stopped, eyes wide. Damned Mechon! They were invading the colony,  
wrecking buildings. People were screaming, I saw a woman and her child get eaten, making me want to vomit. There was a faint whirring behind me, and

I spun around.

I tried getting out of the way, jumping back, but the large metal claw had already clung onto my arm like a vice, squeezing it into oblivion. I screamed in pain, curling my hand into a fist and smacking the claw with my spikes. All was for naught, for  
the machine couldn't simply yelp in pain and let me go. Instead, the claw simply started pushing my arm further in, my head getting close to the opening. This was it, this is how I would die. If only I'd-

 _ **Shing**_

The sound of metal on metal chilled me to the bone, the arm with the claw on it falling off and pushing me to the ground. The machine looked around, confused as to what was going on. A giant axehead had wedged its way into it's body, severing wires and  
cutting through the gears that kept it functional.

"It seems you just couldn't handle this one on your own."


	2. Waking Up

Waking up was not fun.

I mean, sure, it takes you back to reality, but it cuts through the dream that you were spending so much time enjoying. Of course, this was not the reason why I was upset.

Rather, it was the humongous headache and sore muscles of the night before. Vague visions of yesterday popped up in my head, giving just enough information to form a coherent story. I had lost, and I had to have relied on her again to save me. Stupid! How could I be so reckless? It was bad enough she had to save me once last night, but this… this was stupid.

I got out of bed, wincing from the pain coursing through my sore muscles. I sighed, walking downstairs. I fumbled through the pantry, grabbing the box of stuff I tended to call breakfast. Sitting down, I decided to mull over the facts of what happened last night.

 _"It seems you just couldn't handle this one on your own."_

 _The creature holding the Axe grinned down at me, kneeling to my level. It's hand moved to the claw encasing my arm._

 _"Rule one, stay alert."_

 _It quickly filleted the tri-claw off my arm, it's blade cutting through the metal easily. It helped me stand up, the armour covering it's entirety intimidating._

 _"Kaja."_

It cut to the next scene, a sea of Mechon surrounding us.

 _The whirring of machinery filled the air, the sounds surrounding the two of us. Both of us raced forewards at once, the sounds of engines blowing and smoke filling our ears and lungs. We slashed away at them, Kaja getting more kills than me. I remember being too preoccupied to be jealous, and punched up at another mechon. People cowered in their houses, praying for us. Once the last mechon was dead, I fell, my wounds from earlier making me lightheaded and dizzy. Kaja looked at me in alarm, than everything went black._

I looked at the bandages encasing my arm. "When did they..? Ah, it doesn't really matter anyways." I mumbled to myself. I shook my head and stretched, moving towards the door. As much as I liked my house, I'd prefer to be outside than in. I moved through the door, staring up at the surprised figure with their fist mid-knock.

"Oh, its _you_." I said, annoyed. She simply laughed.

"You never change, do you Kognis? I just came to check up on you and your arm, gotta change the bandages and all that."

"You _suck_ Kaja. I can do that myself." I spit venom at her. She feigned a hurt look. It had been this way for a while, I suppose. As kids we used to get along, but now its been a constant contest of who's better. Not that I'm complaining, I'm fully willing to admit I probably started it.

"Well, at least I'm trying to look after you." She snorted "we all know you need someone to do that for you. You aren't invincible, you know."

"Says you."

"I'm not the one who almost died last night!" We kept getting louder, people looking at us curiously.

"Maybe I didn't want your help! I had things under control!"

"If by under control you mean getting yourself eaten, then yes! You had things _way_ under control! Face it Kognis, you are too _proud_! You can't even admit when you need help!" Her face was twisted in anger, surprising me greatly. Kaja never got angry, only disappointed or mad. She looked ready to punch a wall. "One of these days, you are going to regret that. I swear it on my life that you will." Her lip quivered and she whirled around, her hair trailing behind her as she marched off. I didn't follow. Why would I? It's not like I should apologize, I never said anything wrong.

It should be her apologizing, for those hurtful things she said to me about pride. Tch, like she can talk. I walked outside and looked around. The colony was decimated, a few buildings beyond repair. I slammed my fist into my house wall. "Dammit!"

Damned Mechon! They just kept coming, not leaving us alone. By now, Colony 6 must not exist anymore, the machines can only get this far with enough ether, and the mines there offering the most around these parts. Our colony had survived solely on this, and the Defense Forces. It's always been dangling on a thread, threatening to fall to its death every second it survives.

I looked around, stepping away from the wall I punched. I bit my tongue from yelling again. We wouldn't want the people to worry about me, would we? Deciding to calm down, I made the trek to where I was yesterday before the attack. That place was always so tranquil, it had been my favorite place to go since I've been able to leave the Colony. I hiked up the grassy hill, up to the withering tree that barely was able to produce any leaves. No creatures lived here, there was simply no point, and yet it still held quiet beauty that nowhere else did. I sat under the tree, staring at the clouds floating lazily in the sky, then drifted off.

 _It was light out, the glaring sun beating down on the dry grass. Across the rocky landscape were trees, gnarled and twisted, their long, grotesque roots clinging to the dry land for dear life. There was one larger than the rest sitting atop a hill of rubble, looking over the landscape. From my position, I saw distant figures littering the ground, but I couldn't exactly tell what they were._

 _Until I went closer._

 _Just staring at the mangled corpses made me weak, forcing me to double over in order to prevent spilling my guts onto the dry ground. It was sickening, the cuts all over the Homs's bodies, the terrified looks on their bloody and marred faces._

 _And then I saw it._

 _I saw her._

 _Tears filled my eyes as I sprinted over to my dead friend, her pale face ridden with dry tears. It finally happened, I couldn't save us. All the good times, the bad times, the arguments we had together, they were all petty and meaningless. Of course, they didn't mean anything at all, the outcome of what would happen to the colony was the same._

 _The mechon had won._

 _I think to most sickening part of seeing Kaja like this was the look on her face. It was pained, worried, angry, and helpless all at once. Her warm hazel eyes once so alive felt cold and dark, her dark hair knotted and stuck to her face. It was something unthinkable for her to look like, usually so neat and lively. The other thing that was sad and tragic about it was her own axe sticking from her abdomen. What a cruel way to die._

 _I bit my tongue to hold back tears and closed her red puffy eyes. We had lost. That was the simple fact. It wasn't long before I was found and killed as well._

I jolted awake, sitting up and clutching my bloodily bandaged arm. I had slept on it by accident, re-opening the wounds. Once I got to my senses, my mind races to the dream. What was that? Two words kept repeating themselves in my head as answers. "We lost…."

I shook my head. It was just a dream, after all, nothing to be scared of. I would never lose, no, not to the likes of the Mechon.

Something was still bothering me though. A wisp of a memory from long ago fluttered into my mind.

 _Kaja and I sat on the bench at the park, eating our lunches as the sunset painted the sky pastel pinks, oranges, and purples. Neither of us spoke, having argued over something stupid earlier. She looked over at me, swallowing her lunch and breaking the silence._

 _"Hey, Kognis?"_

 _"Yeah Kaja?" My voice was tired and strained from yelling about the argument earlier._

 _"I… I was thinking for a bit after our fight. After I stormed off, a terrible thought entered my head that… maybe you didn't want to…" She trailed off, her eyes watering. I placed my hand on her shoulder._

 _She turned to me, a faint smile on her face. "Can you promise that we will be friends, no matter what?" Her voice was coarse, cracking a bit in between her words._

 _"No matter what. Together we stand, together we fall. I promise."_

I had broken that promise in the dream. How could I? Sure, I'm not the most reliable person, but that was a promise I promised myself I would never break. It was too important to the both of us. I had her back and she had mine, it was a bond we would never break.

Maybe I did have something I needed to apologize for.


End file.
